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THE BEKTASHI ORDER in BULGARIA- a 16TH CENTURY DOCUMENT on ELMALI (ELMALU) BABA DARGĀH* Nurullah KOLTAŞ**

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THE BEKTASHI ORDER in BULGARIA- a 16TH CENTURY DOCUMENT on ELMALI (ELMALU) BABA DARGĀH* Nurullah KOLTAŞ** THE BEKTASHI ORDER IN BULGARIA- A 16TH CENTURY DOCUMENT ON ELMALI (ELMALU) BABA DARGĀH* Nurullah KOLTAŞ** Abstract The spiritual transformation in the Balkans through the efforts of the spiritual masters from Anatolia is also an indication of a profound realisation that bridges the vast historical and cultural heritage of the East and the West. It can be concluded from the historical treatises and the hagiographical accounts that the mentioned transformation led the new settlers of Anatolian origin to establish their own communities even in some remote areas and to practice their own rituals as a continuation of the wisdom innate in their rites. One of those spiritual masters who helped the spiritual well-being of the muslim community in the Southern Bulgaria is Elmali (Elmalu) Baba. Despite the limited information concerning Elmali Baba’s life, his Dargāh served not only as a sufi gathering place but also as a center that fulfilled the religious education for the followers of Bektāshī Order together with the madrasa and the mosque built within the same area. In this article, we will try to give a brief information on the dissemination of Bektāshī Order in the Southern Bulgaria. Then, we will introduce Elmali Baba Dargāh located in the Momchilgrad Province. Finally, we will give the Turkish transliteration and the English translation of the document that authorises Elmali Baba in fulfilling the needs and the service of the initiates thereof. Key Words: Bektāshiyya, Elmali Baba, dargāh, secret (sirr), ghāzi BULGARİSTAN’DA BEKTAŞİLİK- ELMALI BABA DERGAHI’NA AİT 16. YY TARİHLİ BİR VESİKANIN NEŞRİ* Öz Anadolu’dan gelen mânâ önderleri yoluyla Balkanlarda gerçekleşen manevî dönüşüm, Batı ve Doğu’nun engin tarihsel ve kültürel mirasını birbirine bağlayan derin bir idrakin de göstergesidir. Tarihle alakala risaleler ve menâkıblardan söz konusu dönüşümün Anadolu’dan gelip yerleşenlerin kimi uzak bölgelerde kendi topluluklarını kurmalarına ve kendi düsturlarında içkin olan hikmetin bir süreği olarak kendi ritüellerini icra etmeye sevk ettiği çıkarımında bulunulabilir. Bulgaristan’ın güneyinde yer alan müslüman toplulukların manevî kalkınmalarına katkıda bulunan mânâ önderlerinden biri de Elmalı (Elmalu) Baba’dır. Elmalı Baba’nın hayatına ilişkin sınırlı bir bilgiye karşın, Dergâhı sadece sûfîlerin bir araya geldikleri bir yer olmanın yanı sıra aynı yerde yer alan medrese * Makalenin Geliş Tarihi: 02.01.2017, Kabul Tarihi: 22.02.2017 ** Associate Prof., Trakya University, Faculty of Divinity, Department of Sufi Studies, Edirne/Turkey, nkoltas@ hotmail.com BAHAR 2017 / SAYI 81 9-26 9 Nurullah Koltaş ve cami ile birlikte Târîk-i Bektâşiyye müntesiplerinin dinî eğitimlerini sağlayan bir merkez işlevi de görmüştür. Makalede Güney Bulgaristan’da Bektâşiyye’nin yayılımına ilişkin kısa bir bilgi verilecektir. Ardından Momçilgrad’da yer alan Elmalı Baba Dergâhı tanıtılmaya çalışılacaktır. Daha sonra Elmalı Baba’yı orada bulunan müntesiplerin ihtiyaç ve hizmetlerini görme konusunda yetkilendiren vesikânın Türkçe transliterasyonu ve İngilizce çevirisi verilecektir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Bektâşiyye, Elmalı Baba, dergâh, sır, gâzi 1. Introduction That the Islamisation process in the western lands – especially those inhabited by the Christian populations- took place through the significant influence of the wandering dervishes on the frontiers is a frequently stated fact in many historical accounts. According to these accounts, Islam reached these lands by means of the traders, travellers and especially by the wandering dervishes who conveyed the sūfī way of life stemming mainly from the views of the spiritual masters such as Khwaja Ahmad Yasawī. However, the common ideal of disseminating the Divine Word was shared by many other sufi orders including Bektashiyya, Naqshbandiyya (Algar, 1971:168-203), Rufaiyya and Khalwatiyya. These orders became effective in transforming the lives of individuals and started a new phase in the later history of sufism in the Balkans. Following the traces of spiritual guides such as Sari Saltuk and Sefer Shah Sultan, a number of shayks and dervishes with “wooden swords” arrived at the Western lands (Evliyâ Çelebi, 2006, III: 548-558) and participated in the Islamisation process in these lands (Barkan, 1942: 293). Thus, these lands gained a vital function of bridging the imagination and the wisdom of great civilisations. Among the mentioned sūfī orders, Bektāshiyya became quite popular not only in view of the Bektāshī tekkes all around the Balkans but also the spiritual training that lasted for centuries. Much of the information concerning the arrival of Bektāshiyya in Edirne and its passage into the Balkans depend on the legends and the oral traditions. Despite the limited data about the lives of these heroic figures, there is also an enormous heritage consisting of hagiographical accounts (manāqib) retold and preserved by the followers until the present day. In this sense, these manāqibnāmas and walayatnāmas provide an incredible amount of knowledge concerning their religious practices and the worldview. Bektāshiyya’s influence in the Balkans became so immense that manytekke s were built in each city or province in order to fulfil the religious services for the followers of the Bektāshī Order there. Through this process of spiritual urbanization, the number of tekkes and the other institutions related to them increased accordingly until the abolishment of Janissary Corps when most of these institutions were demolished except for the tombs and graves. Following the reigns of Sultan 10 BAHAR 2017 / SAYI 81 BULGARİSTAN’DA BEKTAŞİLİK- ELMALI BABA DERGAHI’NA AİT 16. YY TARİHLİ BİR VESİKANIN NEŞRİ Abdulmajid and Sultan Abdulaziz, the pressure and restraint decreased to certain extent, and some of the tekkes were rebuilt and renewed (Maden, 2012: 51, 120- 121). Yet, some historians claim that all those sanctions were only for the Janissaries not the Bektāshīs, and the veneration for the spiritual guides of Bektāshī Order continued as usual (Ayar, 2009: 36). This veneration was partly due to the respect for the personalities and the shrines of Sufi saints in general. Numerous works were written concerning the Bektāshī Order most which were written by non-initiate ones and also by some orientalists who are partly far from tracing the doctrines and the rites of the Order to its original form. A number of these scholars believe that the Bektāshī Order absorbed some views which are not compatible with the mainstream sūfī thought and they consider the Bektāshī Order as a heterodox sect. According to some scholars, the reason for calling them “heterodox” is due to the lack of a term that could explain their case (Yıldırım, 2008: 9). In fact, these views are to be discussed not only from the historical and sociological perspective but also from that of the history of Sufism without any anachronic tendency. Otherwise, a certain unclarity whether be it intentional or unintentional leads especially some orientalists to define Bektāshiyya with heretic beliefs rather than as a sūfī order. By the same token, it seems quite tragic to consider it with heterodoxy although it is linked with Khwaja Ahmad Yasawī and the Yasawī Order which is quite “orthodox” especially at the beginning. However, it is not always easy to define the initiatic nature of the sufi orders from their apparent aspects, and the difficulties in defining the rites and the rituals of the sūfī orders stem mainly from the nature of the initiation itself. For, each sūfī order has peculiar rites or trusts which are to be kept secret from “the outsiders”. Some sūfī orders even developed their own language to keep their secrets as we see in the case of “Balaibalan” of the Gulshanī Order. Given this secrecy in view of the practices and the doctrines, it is not always possible to determine all aspects of a sūfī order and particularly that of Bektāshiyya properly (Birge, 1994: 87). Some of these secrets are accessible only to the lovers and the people of the Path, and they cannot be attained by the public. In this regard, Ahmad Yasawī says (Divān-ı Hikmet, 2016; 377), “The secret of the true lover is concealed, the ordinary ones know it not One should let his tears be witness, and then go straight forward.” As the initiates have no authority to resist such claims of heterodoxy, these attacks in turn became attributed to the Path as if an innate characteristic. The doctrines then become –so to speak- blurred and even some branches do not accept the views belonging to the other as a result. BAHAR 2017 / SAYI 81 11 Nurullah Koltaş 2. The Path of the Delicate Ones (Tarīq-i Nazanīn) Generally speaking, The Bektāshī Order is called “the path of the gentle or delicate ones” (Tarīq-i Nazanīn) and is accepted among Tarīq-i Shattāriyyah1. It has some unique features not only in its doctrine but also in practice. It also has some peculiar garments including hirqa, tâj2, palihang, tigh, etc (Şeyh Baba Mehmed Süreyya, 2012: 23-24). One of the distinctive features of Bektāshī Order is the priority given to the spiritual authority and capacity rather than mere hereditary succession (Hasluck, 1929: 164). Similarly, the children of a Bektāshī dervish are free to choose their own way (Dedebaba, 2010: I/397). The Bektāshī dervishes3 perform their services with the general attitude of spiritual poverty (faqr) rather than gaining a personal authority. This attitude is mentioned in Maqālāt al-Ghaybiyya of Haji Bektāsh Walī like a dictum: “Do not incline to the lieneage or kinsfolk. May thy name be uttered less and do not let your name be written beforehand” (Yılmaz, 2004: 64) The hierarchy in Bektāshiyya has some peculiar aspects. It is possible for an initiate to exercise the necessary rites of the Order and thus, to become a dervish, baba, halifebaba, and finally adedebaba , who represents Haji Bektāsh Walī for the time being. Taking the sayings of Haji Bektash Walī into consideration, it can readily be asserted that a dervish may take over this task without being necessarily a descendant of Haji Bektash in view of a blood tie, “Know it well that being a dervish is an eternal bliss and an everlasting prosperity.
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